The present invention relates to motor vehicle indicator lights. Specifically, the present invention is an indicator light system actuated when the clutch pedal of a motor vehicle is depressed.
It is appreciated in the art that one of the best ways to reduce the incidence of motor vehicle collisions is to provide warnings to other drivers through the use of indicator lights. To this end, all motor vehicles include brake indicator lights, turn signal indicator lights, reverse indicator lights, and the like, to warn other drivers of changes in the speed and/or direction of a motor vehicle.
For example, changes in speed of a motor vehicle, specifically deceleration of a motor vehicle, are intended to be indicated by brake indicator lights. However, brake indicator lights actually only signal depression of the brake pedal. While stopped, a driver may release pressure on the brake pedal thereby extinguishing the brake indicator lights but allowing the motor vehicle to remain stopped. Likewise, a driver may decelerate a motor vehicle by shifting the motor vehicle""s transmission to a lower gear rather than depressing the brake pedal. Unless the driver additionally depresses the brake pedal, the brake indicator lights do not warn other drivers of this xe2x80x9cdownshiftingxe2x80x9d type of deceleration.
Warning systems have been proposed to more accurately alert other drivers to the speed and direction of motor vehicles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,782 to Bernal discloses a system in which the speed of a motor vehicle is sensed and the motor vehicle""s brake indicator lights are illuminated when the speed of the motor vehicle drops below a predetermined level.
While such a system addresses the problem of alerting other drivers to a driver releasing a brake pedal while traveling at a slow speeds, i.e. coasting, or while stopped, this system has at least one drawback. The drawback to this system is that, as described above, alerting drivers to the speed of a vehicle does not address the problem of alerting other drivers to changes in speed of a motor vehicle. That is, the safety problem has less to do with the absolute speed of a motor vehicle than with changes in speed, specifically deceleration, of a motor vehicle. The system of Bernal does not alert other drivers to such deceleration until the absolute speed of the motor vehicle drops below the predetermined level. As with conventional brake indicator lights, in many instances, this warning may come too late.
Therefore, it can be seen that there is a need in the art for a warning system for a motor vehicle that alerts other drivers to the deceleration of a motor vehicle caused by actions other than depressing the brake pedal.
The present invention is a motor vehicle indicator light. The present device is adapted for use with a motor vehicle of the type having a manual transmission and an electrical system. As is known in the art, the manual transmission includes a clutch engaging and disengaging the gears of the manual transmission when a clutch pedal coupled to the clutch is released and depressed respectively.
According to the present invention, exterior indicator lights proximate the rear of the motor vehicle communicate electrically with the electrical system of the motor vehicle. Optionally, the present invention may additionally include a dashboard indicator light in electrical communication with the motor vehicle electrical system. The present invention includes an actuator engaged to said clutch that communicates with the exterior indicator lights. When the clutch pedal is depressed, the actuator actuates the exterior indicator lights. In the optional embodiment in which a dashboard indicator light is provided, the actuator additionally actuates the dashboard indicator light when the clutch pedal is depressed.